#the mad witch

[londonhalcyon]

An Overdue TMW Situation Update

I’ve been thinking about the dilemma of finishing The Mad Witch.

For a lot of reasons, I want to put this fic to bed. The problem is how, and for the longest time I’ve been stuck between two options. Do I—

Abandon the fic, which got me through the lowest point in my life, on a grim cliffhanger?

Keep writing and posting as normal, ignoring the worsening taint on the source material and what that says about my values and regard for others?

After some thought, I’ve decided to settle on a third option: give you what I have left.

Here’s what that’ll look like:

I’ve partially written Chapters 45-49. I will finish those and post as normal.

I will write bullet-pointed outlines of Chapters 50-62, occasionally interspersed with more detailed scenes. These will be posted in place of complete chapters.

I will fully write Chapter 63, the final chapter, to bring closure to the fic.

I will post all chapters, fully written and outlined, all at once in one big, final update. As a result, you still won’t see a fic update for a while, but I promise one exists.

In other words, the next TMW update will be the final one.

This is the best way I can think of to bring the story to an end as quickly and finally as possible. Five chapters will be far more manageable than 20, and you guys still get to experience the end of this journey with me, even if it’s not quite “complete.”

[londonhalcyon]

Here are some quick pen sketches I made of a few The Mad Witch characters, for you. Cheers!

Look at them!!! I love all of them!

This is awesome. Thank you so much!!

[londonhalcyon]

Chapter Update

What's this? A new chapter that didn't take 6+ months to post? Miracles can happen.

Without further ado, here's

Chapter 44: Interlude

We're crawling ever closer towards the end.

Obligatory chapter preview:

* * * *

Interlude

At the beginning of the end, we threw a party. 

“She what?”

“I kid you not. Word for word.”

Well, not a party, but it felt worse to call the tiny gathering what it really was.

“Stop,” Penny protested, ears tinged pink.

“It’s what you did,” I said.

“You don’t have to keep repeating it!”

Years of sleepless nights, desperate plans, and bloody sacrifices had been made worthless in a single evening. 

“My brave warrior lass,” Conall teased, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed, briefly. 

“I owe you one, Pen,” Merula said.

Penny gave a small hum, leaning into Conall on the sofa. “I’m sure we’re even. Or close to it, in the grand scheme of things.”

In the span of hours, the world had taken a turn for the worse: a swift coup, another death—all the wrong pieces falling into all the wrong places.

“Both of you were supposed to remain hidden,” I said.

I was met with matching noises of indignation. Penny and Merula talked over each other in their rush to scold me. Irritated, I pulled out of Merula’s arms to go find my own chair. 

“Don’t let her do something reckless while we’re gone,” Merula told Conall. “Because she will try.”

“I didn’t blow up the table!” I exclaimed. “And I didn’t burn the place down either, unlike someone.”

“Could you open another bottle of wine, while you’re up?” Penny asked.

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

This gathering of four was our final quiet night together before we had to face our brave new world. I tried not to think about any of those words too hard: “final,” “quiet,” or “together.” If I did, I would feel the arm around my throat.

[londonhalcyon]

Between the horrors.

(From this picrew.)

[londonhalcyon]

I redid my estimate for how many chapters are left in TMW. Here’s a rough in-fic timeline:

Chapters 45-46: September 1997

Chapter 47: October 1997

Chapters 48-50: November 1997

Chapter 51: December 1997 (yes, a Christmas chapter)

Chapters 52-53: January 1998

Chapter 54: February 1998 (I get the feeling folks will really like this one)

Chapter 55: March 1998

Chapter 56: April 1998

Chapter 57-60: May 1998

Chapter 61: June/July 1998

Chapter 62: September 1998

Chapter 63: September 2000

…Help

[londonhalcyon]

Hey! This is just an appreciation message. I love this fanfiction. Like LOOOVE. The first time i read it I was in awe and obsessed! I was also a bit lost because I was fandom blind (not to harry potter but this video game), but quickly got the gist. I love this because it answers the question I found to be lacking in Harry Potter but what were the adults feeling during everything?? Anyways, Merula's coming out to Lily made me gasssspppp, that "...I had to fall in love with you." FEEELT, as a queer who is currently in love with their best friend who is not single, ughhhhh love really isnt a choice haha. Anyways, major appreciation. I also love the subtle intimacy scenes, the emotion in them. Really appreciate, I always look for new updates :)

Thank you so much! I appreciate your appreciation!

It's kind of funny; I've been thinking lately about how TMW isn't a fic I would've written if I had started it today. Not only because of its now incredibly tainted source material, but also because the 19-year-old closeted baby gay who wrote the initial outline was a very different person from the 25-year-old queer woman who is currently sewing rainbow patches on her denim jacket (and is struggling to make closeted baby gay's outline make sense).

Somewhere along the way, what started as a story for me and me alone evolved into something unexpected. The number of people who have told me how much they see themselves in Lily and Merula and in the queer experiences in TMW has been astounding. I have received so many comments from readers ranging from the fic helping them through a tough time to simply bringing them the joy of being perceived. It brings me so much joy to see people connecting to the fic in their own ways.

Lily was a character my younger self desperately needed. While I'm in a much more certain and comfortable place now (and while I won't touch HP-adjacent media with a ten-foot pole when this fic is over), I feel obligated to get Lily and Merula to their happy ending, both as a love letter to my younger self and as a love letter to all the readers who have connected with them on this bizarre, winding journey.

[londonhalcyon]

Happy anniversary to The Mad Witch!

The fic turns five today! Progress may be slow, but hey, it’s still progress. Five years and I haven’t given up yet.

And in that time, insanely, this nearly 300k-word snail has remained one of the top fics in this tiny fandom. Oh my god, guys, I can’t thank you enough for your support.

Here’s a look at my progress over the years:

2020: I posted 15 chapters. The first 6-7 I started writing in 2019, before the beginning of the pandemic prompted me to finally rewrite and post them.

2021: I posted 12 chapters, bringing the total up to 27. Writing these was my main source of sanity that year.

2022: I posted 6 chapters, bringing the total up to 33 (the infamous “Shattered Glass” chapter). I graduated in May and started grad school in September.

2023: I posted 6 chapters, bringing the total up to 39. I drove halfway across the country solo over the summer to work on my master’s project.

2024: I posted 3 chapters, bringing the total up to 42. Grad school got harder. I got my master’s in June, then struggled with unemployment and housing for the entire rest of the year.

2025: I’ve posted 1 chapter so far, bringing us to 43! I have a job now and free time I haven’t had since I was a teenager. With roughly 17 chapters to go, here’s hoping I can finally knock some out this year. (I at least need to beat 3 chapters, c’mon.)

[londonhalcyon]

Nearly 4k words into the next TMW chapter. It’s mostly just editing and connecting a couple disparate scenes left. Woo!

This chapter is supposed to be a quick summary of the whole idle month that goes by in between when things go to shit and when things really go to shit, but that didn’t stop me from slipping some fun tidbits in there. :)

Also, if things go according to plan, this will be the last August chapter of the entire fic. That’s wild.